What Might Have Been
by FairyTails77
Summary: Lucy must deal with the fact that Natsu Dragneel and their life together might have never existed when she wakes up from a coma. The one to put her in the coma? E.N.D
1. A Dream?

Lucy was awoken to the smell of bacon and pancakes. She smiled sleepily and slowly sat up, rubbing most of the sleep from her eyes. Putting on her snowman slippers (a gift from Plue) and a random sweatshirt she made her way to the kitchen.

As she grew closer she could hear humming along with the growing sound of breakfast. She folded her arms and pulled them close to her as she yawned.

Natsu turned her way and smiled. "Morning Luce, how'd ya sleep?"

Luce smiled and nodded, giving him a nonverbal answer. He was wearing an old sweat shirt from the guilds gift shop and a pair of sweatpants barefoot. His hair was still untamed from sleeping.

Natsu motioned for her to come closer to him and she did so as he wrapped his available arm around her, pulling Lucy in front of him facing the stove. He kissed the top of her head and held her close, starting to hum again.

"What're you humming?" She closed her eyes taking in the sound.

"A song I heard on the radio the other day. Think it was called Snow Fairy or something like that."

"I like it." She looked down at her left hand, seeing the matching wedding bands her and Natsu gotten. Most people thought she would have wanted a diamond or something flashy, but she knew something that expensive could easily get lost on a mission. Plus, she liked how simple it was, a silver band with the words "it's always more fun with we're together" inscribed on the outside along with their wedding date on the inside.

Lucy looked up and gave a quick kiss before releasing herself from Natsu. "I'm gonna grab a couple of plates." She makes her way over to the cabinet with the few plates in it and set two of them out on the counter, along with some silverware, cups, and some Sriracha sauce (Natsu will eat anything with hot sauce...). Just as she was finishing, Natsu came around with a frying pan full of eggs and then a few plates of varies breakfast items.

A few minutes past of them eating when Lucy asked something that's been on her mind. "Where's Nashi and Happy? I haven't seen them."

"Happy took Nashi to Gray and Juvia's to spend the night last night. I guess Nashi was missing little Silver. Happy said he'd meet up with is at the guild sometime this afternoon." Lucy nodded. The four year old loved playing with Gray's little boy, they two were nearly inseparable.

"That would explain why I wasn't woken up last night by something crawling into our bed at two in the morning." Lucy downed another bite of pancake.

"Or by a certain blue cat that likes to hog the bed as soon as you roll over." They both laughed a little.

After breakfast was over, Lucy got up and thought it would be best if they both got ready for the day. They had to head into the guild to pick a job before all the good ones were taken. They both stood up from the barstools and went into the laundry room. Natsu had to grab a clean towel for a shower, normally Lucy would take one first but she already did the night before.

"Alright well I'm going to go take a shower real quick."

Lucy nodded and grabbed her clothes and put her hand on the bedroom door to get dressed.

Something wasn't right

Her head started to hurt. She felt dangerously dizzy and couldn't see straight. "Natsu?" Her knees buckled and she collapsed to the ground, barely conscious. Natsu must have heard her hit the hardwood floor because he was running down the hallway without a shirt, soon holding her up...

"LUCY! WHAT'S WRONG?! STAY WITH ME OK?!"

She could feel him picking her up and carrying her out the door of the apartment. "You're going to be ok, you're going to be ok, you're going to..." Lucy wasn't sure if he was trying to convince her or himself.

She lost consciousness before they even made it out of the building, the last thing she sees being the wedding bands.

* * *

Lucy opens her eyes and squints at the bright lights above her. She holds her arm up to shield herself from the light and notices an IV hooked into her as well as a heart monitor. "What the..."

"LUCY YOU'RE AWAKE!" Wendy burst into her room and tackled her right before Erza pulled her off. "Careful Wendy, she's still recovering." Wendy nods. Gray had suddenly appeared in the room behind Erza and leaned up against the wall.

Something clicked in Lucy. "Wait recovering? What do you..." Lucy stopped and realized her voice was raspy, like she hadn't used it in months.

Erza and Gray give each other a look, and then Gray steps forward. "Lucy, what's the last thing you remember?"

She thought back to that morning. "I was at my apartment with Natsu. We had just got done eating breakfast and were getting ready to head to the guild to get a high paying but easy job. That's when I started feeling dizzy and fell down." She paused for a second trying to remember, "that's when Natsu freaked out and...why are you looking at me like that?"

The other three exchanged glances, Erza being the first to speak. "Lucy, who's Natsu?" Lucy stared at them.

"What do you mean? Natsu Dragneel. He's a dragon slayer, his dad was Igneel. He's been apart of Fairy Tail his whole life!" Erza, Gray, and Wendy shook their heads.

"Lucy, who are you talking about?"

Now she was mad. "I'm talking about Natsu Dragneel! He's the one who brought me to Fairy Tail! He's saved my life countless times! Natsu Dragneel: my husband! The father of Nashi Dragneel, our daughter! Now where is he?!" She was nearly in tears. Lucy clenched her hands and looked down at her hand.

Her wedding ring was missing, like it was never there.

Wendy sat on her bed. "Lucy, you've been in a coma for the last eight months. The last thing that happened before you fell asleep was a job we all took. It was to go capture someone and bring him into the magic council."

Erza steps in. "He was a lot more powerful that we anticipated and you went after him head on. With one blast he nearly killed you. You almost bled to death. That's when we retreated and heard that you may never wake up."

Lucy looked down and breathed deeply. That had happened several years ago for her. Natsu had been the one to carry her back to the guild. She was fine about a month later.

"I remember, Natsu was the one to carry me away after the man tried attacking again." She looked for confirmation, not receiving it.

"No, Luce I did. You nearly died in my arms" Gray spoke up. Lucy was silent.

"What did he look like?" Wendy put her hand on top of Lucy's. "Natsu I mean."

"He was a little bit taller than me, wore a black and yellow jacket with one sleeve. He had the Fairy Tail mark in red on his right shoulder. He had pink spiky hair and always had a long black and white scarf." Lucy recited knowing his appearance like the back of her hand.

The room was dead silent. Wendy looked terrified, Erza tried to keep as calm as she could, and Gray took a deep break and closed his eyes. After a moment of silence Gray spoke up.

"Lucy, the guy that you just described, is the one who nearly killed you. His name is END."

Lucy wanted to throw up. Her friends had to be lying to her, but what reason did they have? She looked down at her ring finger again, and broke down. "Please...please say you're joking...please..." She wrapped her arms around herself and bent forward sobbing. Wendy immediately replaced Lucy's arms let her cry on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry Luce...but it's true." Erza and Gray joined Wendy.

All of it, Happy, Natsu, their daughter Nashi, all of it wasn't real...the only thing that was real was END, and he wanted her dead...

* * *

 **Hope you liked it! I think I'm going to continue with it because I'm proud of how it turned out :) I got the idea from something on tumblr that I kept reblogging with more angst. Anyways! Hope you like it and let me know how I did. Thank you!**


	2. Reality?

**Chapter 2: Reality?**

Lucy sat on her infirmary bed as the master debriefed her on everything that had happened.

When END nearly killed her with that one hit, he was somehow able to alter all of her memories so that this man named Natsu became apart of her life. At least that's what they were assuming because as far as everyone was concerned, no one knows for sure what happened to her. No one knows why he chose Lucy, perhaps to bring the downfall of the guild in some way? The only way to figure that out was to ask END himself, but he hasn't been seen since she went into her coma.

Every once in a while guild members would talk about something that happened over the time she was "away", but Lucy was only half listening. She's still in shock and disbelief over everything.

The last 6 years of my life have been a lie...I don't have a daughter, I don't have Natsu. No that's not right, Natsu's still real, just a different person...

Lucy swung her feet over the bed, although not as gracefully as she would have liked. Luckily she had gotten a change of clothes instead of the breezy hospital gown. Everyone stared at her.

"I-sorry...I just-just need some air..." She slowly pushed her way through the door and walked out of the guild and down the street. (a/n yes I am aware that coma patients can't just get up and walk after being out for so long but for the sake of story plot, just role with it) She turned the corner and continued walking down the street, hoping it was still there.

Finally she arrives to her house. It looks newer than when she last saw it, then again the last time she saw her apartment, it was six years older than what it really was. Hoping the key was still in the same place, she uncovers a hollowed out rock and unlocks the door with the key inside. She steps in, and immediately regrets it.

Its exactly the same as Lucy had left it, but it wasn't right. There was no toys on the floor, picture frames on the walls, and her house was clean. She stepped into her bedroom and sees Michelle on her bed, smiling up at her.

Lucy snatches her up and holds her close. This was supposed to be Nashi's. She finds a photo album and a diary on top of her desk. Opening it, she sees that the last entry was on April 12, X792.

"I'm going on another mission today with Erza, Gray, and Wendy. Erza picked out a job request that should be simple for us. It's nothing out of the ordinary, just taking down some bad guy and turning him into the Magic Council. She picked an S class job, but I'm not too sure why it's S class. The job sounds easy enough.

Anyways! I got done with another chapter in my book. I would say I am about half way done now and I showed a chapter to Levy. She said it was amazing so far!"

Lucy slammed the journal shut and threw it across the room. It went on about how happy her life was, about how perfect her whole universe was. She clutched Michelle closer and bent over on her desk. Lucy wanted to cry so badly, but nothing would come out. "I don't want this... I was happy..."

She looks to Michelle expecting an answer but forgetting she won't get one. Slowly, Lucy gets up from her desk and picks up the box full of letters to her mom and walks it over to her bed. She takes the small box and puts it under her arm as she lays on the bed. Her eyes become heavy and she falls asleep.

* * *

It's been a year since Lucy has woken up from her coma. Her life had gotten easier, after she had accepted that everything that had happened was just a figment of her imagination. She still thought about her life then, and she often forgot that certain things didn't happen like they did where she was. Lucy knew none of it was real, but that doesn't mean she didn't miss it.

Mornings never got any easier, especially since the sun was shining too bright for her liking. Lucy left a mental note for herself to destroy the cursed sun for waking her up, but that could wait until after she got something to eat.

Reluctantly she gets up and finds a new pair of clothes, not bothering with a shower. After she ate a granola bar, Lucy started to reconsider that shower.

Once in the bathroom, she hears a door knock.

"Lucy, it's Erza, Gray and Wendy. Can we come in?"

Lucy groaned, not wanting to get dressed and then open the door for them and then repeat the whole process. "Yah, come on in. I'm in the shower." She heard the door rattle and then close, hearing their voices in the living room. She drowns them out when the water is turned on. Before she can even get her clothes off, her ears begin to ring again.

She becomes dizzy again and makes a small choking sound this time, before falling to the tile floor. Lucy hits her head on the side of the tub, only having enough time to see her friends barge into the bathroom before she blacks out.

* * *

"Wendy she'll wake up soon right?" -unrecognizable voice-

"She should, but it's hard to tell. We don't even know what happened..."

Lucy stirred, slowly opening up her eyes again. She was getting sick of seeing the same lights every time she woke up. She turned to her right and saw four people, two of them having a conversation and the other two napping in the chairs around the bed.

"Lucy!" Someone hurried over and gave her a hug. It was warm...she looked up.

Pink hair...

* * *

 **Duh duh duuuuuuun! Wow that was lame. Anyways sorry for the somewhat crappy chapter and the cliff hanger at the end. I felt like writing another chapter and this is what my brain came up with. Might fix it later but anyways let me know what you guys think! (I did end up fixing it) Hope you liked it**


	3. What happens when we're not?

"Wendy she'll wake up soon right?" -unrecognizable voice-

"She should, but it's hard to tell. We don't even know what happened..."

Lucy stirred, slowly opening up her eyes again. She was getting sick of seeing the same lights every time she woke up. She turned to her right and saw four people, two of them having a conversation and the other two napping in the chairs around the bed.

"Lucy!" Someone hurried over and gave her a hug. It was warm...she looked up.

Pink hair...

"Thank God you're awake" He tightened his grip on her. He wasn't wearing a shirt, and still had the same stupid sweatpants on that she last saw him in. He pulled back when he realized she didn't hug back.

"Luce?"

"You're not real...you can't be..." Lucy looked down avoiding his gaze.

Natsu half laughed. "What are you talking about? I'm as real as you are."

Lucy shook her head. "That's not what Erza, Gray, and Wendy told me..."

"Luce we haven't told you anything. You've been out for a couple of hours. Natsu nearly broke down the guild door with you half dead" Gray stood up, having lost his shirt somewhere in the middle of him talking.

"Wait hours? It's been a year! I'm in a coma again right now aren't I?! You're just an illusion created by END!" Lucy hid her face in her hands and bent forward.

The door slams open. "Natsu! I couldn't keep her out anymore!" Happy flies in struggling to hold back a little girl. "Hap-ee let go! I wan see momma!" A little girl about four years old is seen running to Lucy's bedside. She had Natsu's hair color but it was long and has two small pigtails on the side, the rest hanging down in the back. Her big brown eyes were just like her mothers and she had her fathers smile, both lighting up when they saw her mother.

"Nashi..." Lucy began to tear up. This was too much.

Nashi looked to her father, who gladly picked her up and set her on the bed. She then got on all fours and crawled onto Lucy's lap.

"Momma! Daddy said you were sick and to wait with Happy, but I din't wan to. You feel better?" She smiled with Natsu's grin.

Lucy took a deep breath and ran her hand through her hair. When she was done she smiled at Nashi. "Yah, I'm fine now kiddo." Nashi looked her in the eyes and scrunched up her face for several seconds.

"You surreee...?" Nashi was smuggled with a hug from her mom. "Yah, don't worry about me. I'm fine, your hug made me aaaall better." Lucy smiled and then frowned at Natsu mouthing "We need to talk". He nodded and sent Nashi to go play with the other kids in the guild.

After Nashi had left, everyone except Natsu followed. "You can't be real..." She rolled her legs up and hid her face in her arms. "That morning, when I fell in the hallway, I woke up from a coma in the guilds infirmary. You were all there..." She turned to Natsu "except you and Nashi. You both never existed. No one had ever heard of you."

Lucy looks out the door. "Gray told me that the person who nearly killed me on that mission was END, who looks identical to you."

Natsu had moved over to Lucy's side and was sitting next to her. She buried her face into his shoulder. "I've lived for the past year believing that you never existed. That the six years after that accident didn't happen like I thought it did. Do you know how hard it was to hear that?! And now that I'm back I don't know what to believe!"

Natsu pulled her head and back and made her lean into him, like time after Ellie died. "Hey, it'll be ok. If I'm not real so what? You're Lucy! You can do anything, even if it means having to go back and forth." He holds her hand.

"It's always more fun when we're together right?"

"But what happens when we're not?"

He pauses. "Then it'll be even more fun when we are."

 **Awww fluffy chapter! Sorry if it's a little shorter, but we did get to meet Nashi! I'm working on transferring the chapters from Wattpad on to here since I fell like more people will see it here. Anyways hope you liked it, and make sure to let me know how I did and what I can do better. Thanks!**


	4. A Job?

"Daddy les do this one!" Nashi pointed up at the job request board, standing on her tiptoes to reach the one she wanted.

Natsu inspected the job his daughter pointed to. The reward was 100,000 jewl and included a formidable picture of a giant monster. Nashi beamed up at him, proud of her decision. "This one right?"

She nodded. "I liked the picture on it!" Yep, she was definitely like her father, picking a job for the simplest reasons. Natsu smiles down and takes it off the board.

"Yo Luce! We found a job!" He yelled to Lucy from the other side of the guild. She was sitting at the bar talking to Mira. "Alright let me see!"

She made her way over to them and held up the job and squinted her eyes accusingly at Natsu.

"You picked this one because of the monster on the front didn't you..."

Nashi and Natsu nod, pretty satisfied with their choice. Lucy sighs before glaring at her husband.

"Natsu we can't do this one alone! At least ask Gray, Erza and Wendy if they want to come along." She looks to Nashi. "You'd get to play with Silver if they say yes."

Nashi's eyes had never been bigger. She immediately ran over to Gray and tugged on his pants asking him if they were willing to go with them. He looked to Natsu and Lucy and gave a thumbs up. Natsu found Erza and asked her the same thing, receiving a yes as well as from Wendy.

"Alright well we'll leave tomorrow morning! Natsu I'm going to go get some lunch with Nashi. We'll be back later." Lucy takes Nashi's hand and leads them out the door and down the street, returning back to the house about an hour or so later.

(Skip to that night lying in bed)

Natsu had rolled over to face Lucy after he'd gotten into bed. She yawned rubbing the back of her hair, walking over to the edge of the bed and crawling underneath the covers. Once they were both situated, Natsu rolled onto his back and looked up at the ceiling. Lucy had rolled over to her right side and was looking at the wall.

"This will be our first mission since I woke up." Natsu nodded

"Yah, but we'll be fine. We've been through worse. Plus it's not like we'll be alone. We've got Erza, Gray and Wendy. I don't really think Silver counts though. I just hope Ice Ass doesn't try to show off for him."

"Oh and you've never showed off for Nashi?" Lucy flips sides so that she is facing him.

"Psh only when Ice Princess and his offspring are around. Can't have their sissy ice magic show me up! I have a reputation to keep!"

Lucy smirks "Yes because the reputation of the Salamander, dragon slayer who goes over board on every mission, is such a good reputation."

Natsu pretended to be offended. "Well of course! I mean someone has to keep the family traditions up." He snuggled into her, gently laying his arm over her.

"Nashi is definitely not going to be upholding that tradition. I don't think the Master needs a second generation of destructive mages." Lucy laughs as she curls up into his arm. "Yah well the old man doesn't really get a say."

Natsu smiled at the thought of the old man going even more out of his mind with paperwork and more grandkids running around the guild. He pulled Lucy close.

"Night Luce."

"Goodnight Natsu."

"Moooomma Daaaaaddy! Les go! Waaaake uuup!" Nashi had managed to climb onto her parents' bed and was now laying on top of both of them length wise. Of course she would occasionally jump on the bed just to spice it up a bit.

Lucy groaned at the sunlight, never really being a morning person. Natsu on the other hand was wide awake at this point and wrestling with his daughter, letting her win of course.

Once everyone had gotten ready and eaten for the morning, they all walked down to the train station to meet the rest of the team.

"Hey Flame Princess! 'Bout time you got here!" Gray folded his arms letting go of his duffle bag.

"Wanna run that by me again Stripper?!" Natsu charged over to said stripper. Now they were butting heads, spewing insults at each other.

"Break it up both of you!" Erza smashed their heads together, ending their bickering. At this point the train had started boarding and Natsu was laying over Lucy's lap trying not to throw up. Wendy had developed the same motion sickness, but luckily managed to fall asleep.

Nashi and Silver were sitting by the window coloring in a book they had been given. He looked just like a baby Gray except his hair was navy blue. His personality was just like Juvia's, very protective and once he found something he liked, he became very attached to it. He had the same hair style as his father but unfortunately had also inherited his stripping habit...

A couple of hours pass and they finally arrive at the train station and make their way over to where the monster was supposedly located.

"Daaaad are we theeere yet?" Silver whined bending down from Gray's shoulders., his hair covering the majority of his face.

"Almost, you have to be patient." Gray pushed him back into place.

"How bout now?"

"Nope."

"How booout now?"

"Still a no."

"How abou..."

"Sil if you don't stop asking I'll make you walk."

"Fiiine..." He crosses his arms, being as patient as a 6 year old could be. Nashi looked back and smiled up at her best friend, giving him the patience he needed.

"I think I see it!" Wendy pointed up to a series of houses up the road. The job request said to meet in a some small village in the mountains and go and hunt down the monster. Happy picks up Nashi and flies beside everyone as they start running, quickly reaching the village.

"You know I was wondering something, why are Nashi and Silver here? I mean if it's a dangerous mission shouldn't we have left them back at the guild?" Wendy turned around to face everyone and sat on the makeshift bed she had made on the ground.

"Because they get to see me in action!" Natsu threw his pillow onto the ground hard to "demonstrate his power". Gray gave him a dirt look and did the same thing, leading to a brutal pillow fight in seconds.

Lucy and Erza shook their heads at the boys. "It's cause they're getting to the age where they want to start practicing magic, and the best way to figure out what they want to do is see it in action. Besides if it gets to be too much, Happy and Charle can just fly them away."

Erza turned to Lucy "Do you think Nashi's going to want to be a celestial wizard or a dragon slayer Lucy?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. You can't learn Dragon Slayer magic from another Dragon Slayer so she may want to be a celestial wizard."

"What about getting her a lacrima?" Lucy shook her head. "If she wants to learn the same magic as Natsu then he'll want to teach her the best he can. He says it means more than just putting a rock inside of you. And besides, I kind of like the idea of handing some of my keys down to her."

"Awwww that's so sweet! Can't you just imagine Nashi and Silver doing some kind of celestial water unison raid?!" Wendy squeeled.

"What makes you think Silver's going to practice water magic?" Wendy pointed behind them. The kids were playing in a small pond that was near their camp. Silver was splashing Nashi, but it seemed like the water was hanging in mid air just a few seconds longer than it normally would.

"Well I guess that answers that question. He's following in his mother's foot steps." Erza unfolded her arms and requiped into something more comfortable to sleep in besides her armor. Everyone follows suit and starts getting ready for bed.

"Goodnight evry one!" Nashi yawned as Lucy tucked her in with Silver who was in the sleeping bag right next to Gray. Lucy got in hers and Natsu in the one next to her. Erza and Wendy on either side of Gray and Natsu, forming a circle around the fire. Happy and Charle laid on top of Wendy and Natsu.

Within a few minutes everyone was fast asleep, tired from the long trip.

Nearly an hour later screams are heard and the ground begins to shake, waking the team up. Immediately they get up and run towards the sound.

"Happy! Charle! Stay here with the kids! If you have to get them out of here!" Natsu yells and then follows everyone, receiving and Aye Sir as an answer.

They're met by a crowd of people running in the opposite direction. Erza is able to stop one of them.

"What's going on?" She practically had to yell over all the noise. The girl she had grabbed is frantic.

"I-I don't know! Some guy just showed up and and started lighting everything on fire with some kind of magic!" The girl pulled away from Erza's hold and ran away.

The team pushed through and was met by a man who looked to be in his mid twenties. All they could see in the dark was a black cape with a hood that covered the majority of his face. Even though they couldn't see his face, they could tell he was making eye contact.

" 'bout time you all showed up! I was getting bored." A small ball of fire manifested in his hand as he played with it.

"Who are you?! And why are you attacking innocent people?!" Natsu gritted his teeth, feeling uneasy. The lower half of his face was visible.

The dark figure smiled. "You know I'm having a hard time deciding who to kill first. Wendy, the sky dragon slayer, or Gray Ice Devil Slayer? Or maybe the lovely Titania." He pauses "Then there's Miss Lucy Heartfilia. Oh wait sorry. It's Dragneel now isn't it?"

"SHUT UP!" Natsu yells before lighting both his arms on fire and charging the man. Erza requips into her flame empress armor, Wendy goes Dragon Force, half of Grays body becomes covered in black markings, and Lucy transforms into her Aquarious Star-dress.

As they got close enough to attack, he attacks.

"Fire Demons Roar!"

"Hate to burst your bubble buddy but fire magic doesn't work on me!" Natsu gets ready to eat it, but he can't. It's like biting air.

They're all blown back by the blast.

"Natsu you should all people know that you can't eat your own fire..."

Gray is the first to get up off the ground. "Just who are you?!"

He paces back and forth. "You know names are a funny thing. You can give them, take them. And sometimes you can have the same name."

He pulls back his hood revealing pink hair and black eyes. "My name is Etherious Natsu Dragneel. That's E.N.D for short."


	5. The END?

Lucy froze.

 _"Lucy, the guy that you just described, is the one who nearly killed you. His name is END."_

She looked back and forth between Natsu and E.N.D. They looked identical, except for the eyes. E.N.D's were filled with death.

"It's been awhile, Luce." He thrusted his arm outward and sent Lucy flying into a tree before anyone could react.

"YOU DON'T TOUCH HER!" Natsu was on him in an instant, throwing any kind of magic he could at E.N.D. Gray and Erza were right behind Natsu. Wendy practically flew over to Lucy to help, but pushed her away saying she didn't need help. He's the one who started all this...but why me?!

E.N.D easily avoided most of their attacks and glanced to Lucy, who was now standing up ready to fight. "Which one is real Ms. Lucy? Your choice! But now I say we make the game...a little more interesting."

Natsu landed a solid punch to his face. "What the hell are you going on about?"

"I wonder what little Nashi, or even little Silver will say if something to happen to one of their parents..." Natsu, Gray and Lucy snapped.

Lucy's star dress started to glow. She pushed her hands outstretched infront of her, a large amount of power coming from her. She was gritting her teeth in anger as was Natsu. Gray shot daggers of black ice at him, a dark wave of energy emanating from him. E.N.D dodged them too easily.

"This is too easy." He bent back so far backwards that he could see behind himself in order to avoid the next strike. He jumped and flipped his legs over his head. When E.N.D landed, he punched the ground sending everyone back like they were nothing.

Natsu was the first to hit him again.

"You're annoying..." E.N.D made eye contact with Natsu and grabbed him by the neck the next time he aimed to hit him in the face. He growled coughed and yelled in frustration, trying to break free.

"Let's do this again sometime ok?" E.N.D sneered at Lucy and didn't break eye contact as she ran straight for him.

E.N.D conjured fire, forming it into a sword.

It went straight through his abdomen.

The pyros body went limp and didn't move as it was dropped to the ground. E.N.D looked down at the boy. "See yah on the other side...Natsu."


	6. Run

"Charle, should we wake them up?" Happy sat down impatiently.

"No way! You never wake up a sleeping child."

"Why not?"

"Because they'll never go back to sleep. Natsu said to only wake them up if we needed to run."

"Yah, I guess so...its just kinda boring babysitting don't you think? I wanna go help Natsu." Happy slumped back, not showing much interest.

"I know how you feel. I want to go and help Wendy just as much as you. But the best thing we can do right now is watch over these two. They can handle whatever they're up against." Charle scooted over to Nashi and rubbed her hair. Nashi smiled in her sleep.

Charle suddenly sat up straight and looked far away at nothing. "Charle are you okay?" In a few moments she was back to normal but looked as if she had seen the end of the world.

"Did you just have a vision? What'd you see?!" Happy stood up concerned now.

"We need to leave."

"Wha..."

"NOW" Charle's wings snapped open as she grabbed Silver and bolted into the air. Silver couldn't help but yelp in surprise, obviously confused as to how he got up in the air so fast. Happy snatched a sleeping Nashi and followed her.

"Charle! What did you see?!" Finally he catches up but both the kids are awake. Charle can't seem to shake the unadulterated fear off of her face. She looked to the lights below them in the forest.

"It's N.a.t.s.u." Charle spelled out his name knowing they would worry if they knew who they were talking about.

"Something h.o.r.r.i...HAPPY NO!" He was already speeding off to find his best friend before she could finish.

 _If Natsu's in trouble I need to go help him! He needs me!_

Nashi yawned, and rubbed her eyes. "Haaappy? Where we going?" She glanced up at the blue cat. Happy halted.

He needs me...I have to go and help him. He shook his head and started to tear up. "It's ok Nashi. We're just going home." She nods, giving into sleep. Charle catches up with them.

"HAPPY THAT WAS ONE OF THE STUPIDEST THINGS YOU HAVE EVER DONE! If you went back there knowing something was going to happen you would have put everyone's lives in danger."

"Charle what happened in your vision?" Happy bowed his head, not wanting to show his face. Both Silver and Nashi were back asleep. Her face turned worried again. "Natsu...he...I saw him fighting himself. There was two of them. They're fighting as hard as they can but before they could do anything Natsu..." On the brink of tears, she takes a few breaths. "There's a sword and then Lucy is screaming to him...Happy I think he's..."

"No...not Natsu. He can't! You have to be wrong!"

"Happy when have one of my visions ever been wrong?! I hate this as much as you do but we have to go. If we go the children would only prove to be a distraction." Charle was holding back tears. She wanted so badly to get them out of that situation. The thought that Wendy or anyone else could end up like Natsu absolutely terrified her.

Behind Happy in the forest, two bright lights had appeared. As they squinted and got a better look, they could see it was a coalition of bright light and fire. Stars rained down to that one spot.

"Lushee..." Happy frowned.

"Come on...we need to go." Charle flew in the other direction trusting he would follow.

 _Please let her vision be wrong..._


	7. Stars and Flames

E.N.D pulled the weapon from Natsu and released his hold on his neck, letting him fall.

"NO!" Lucy screamed and was at Natsu's side instantly, holding him. His breathing was too shallow and too much blood was pooling underneath him and onto her lap. His eyes were closed shut and his hands balled into fists. Natsu gritted his teeth.

Wendy was at her side and didn't waste anytime using her healing magic. Erza and Gray screamed and charged E.N.D while he just stood there smiling over Natsu's body.

"Natsu talk to me! Say something please!" She let the tears fall and pulled him closer.

Slowly he opened his eyes. When they met Lucy's, he smiled.

"Hey, Luce what's up?"

She didn't respond. She only gripped him tighter.

"Why you cryin? It's not like I'm dying or anything. Sorry," Natsu squeezed his eyes shut for a second wincing at a sudden jolt of pain. "bad choice of words."

"Natsu..." Lucy spoke through the tears.

"Luce I'm sorry but I need you to do something for me." She looked at him. "That guy over there? I need you to run away from him."

Lucy shook her head vigorously. "No, I'm not going to do that. I'm not running away!"

"Luce please..."

"NO. I'm not leaving you! Wendy is going to fix you up and then we can go home together. Whatever happened to 'it's always more fun when we're together'?! What will Nashi say when she finds out that her mom ran away from her dad and the man who..." She couldn't finish the sentence.

"Lucy?" She turned to Wendy, who had stopped her magic. She was shaking her head.

"No no no no no no no please no. I'm not going to let you die. You're going to come home with us! You can fight with Gray and then Erza will break you up and then afterwards you'll go and eat with Nashi and we can go on more missions and-"

"Lucy stop." Natsu had turned serious and Lucy stopped talking. "Erza!"

Gray and Erza were still fighting E.N.D as best they could but they haven't even landed a hit. Both of them looked exhausted.

"Go! I can handle this guy for a bit." Gray shouted to Erza and then gritted his teeth, firing his next attack.

Erza was seeing just how bad his condition was for the first time. A large hole ran straight through his abdomen. Blood was leaking out onto Lucy's lap as she held him up. He turned to Erza, refusing to show any sign of pain. The sweat on his forehead and dull look in his eyes said otherwise.

"Take everyone and go." Erza was about to retaliate when he continued.

"Just leave me and go. Just keep running and don't look back." Natsu's expression had softened. Of course he wanted to be with his friends, but E.N.D had proved to be too much for them and he wanted them to retreat while they still could. Even if it meant leaving him behind as dead weight. He didn't want to think about what everyone was going to say, he just wanted them to live because of him.

Erza looked back and forth between Gray and E.N.D fighting and Natsu. Gray was almost at his limit. If this kept up, everyone of them could...no...they would be dead.

"Gray! We're leaving!"

"What about Natsu?! We can't just leave him here?! Erza!"

"NOW!" Her red hair hid her face as she stood up and started pulling Lucy away. Wendy reluctantly followed in tears.

"No! I'm not leaving! Erza let me go!" Lucy pushed at Erza's arm, attempting to release herself from her hold but Erza wasn't budging.

"We need to respect Natsu's wish. Come on." Erza tugged on her arm, not daring to look back no matter how badly she wanted to. E.N.D had completely forgotten about Gray leaving in the middle of a fight and had moved back over to Natsu. E.N.D picked Natsu up by his hair and positioned him so that he was on his knees facing everyone's backs as they ran away. He conjured another one of the swords but this time it was smaller, like a dagger. He winced when the grip on his hair tightened but then saw Lucy's eyes staring directly at him. He gave her his famous smile and mouthed something to her before the dagger had disappeared again, this time in his chest. Natsu's eyes rolled back into his head and he slumped backwards.

Something inside Lucy snapped. An earth shattering scream escaped from her lungs and the sky turned dark. Thousands of stars rained down from the heavens and landed all around them.

E.N.D reacted just in time to produce so much fire, that it surrounded him and Natsu and charred everything else. The whole scene, the stars and flames, could be seen from miles away. When the last star had fallen Lucy was unable to stand, forcing Gray to carry her over his shoulder. He looked back only to see that E.N.D and Natsu's body had completely vanished. Lucy gave into unconsciousness, repeating Natsu's last words inside her head, the same words that he had said to her after she had lost in the Grand Magic Games:

 _"You were amazing."_


	8. Once Upon A Time

"Hey Mira! Mind filling me up a bit more?" Cana waved her mug back and forth towards the smiling waitress. The way she slurred her words indicated she was slightly intoxicated, but that's nothing new.

"Just a second Cana!" Mira said as she finished her sentence with the Master. She calmly walked over to the alcoholic and topped off the rest of her mug.

"You're the best!" She tipped her mug up and chugged half of it in one sitting.

"Hey Mira?"

"Yes Cana?"

"Is it just me or does the guild seem rather...quiet."

Mira looked up from the dish she was cleaning and shrugged. The guild hall was about half full but it did seem quieter than normal. "I suppose it's because Natsu and the others are out on a mission. They took that big 100,000 jewel one that's been up for a while. It was the five of them plus Happy and Charle so they should have been able to handle it no problem."

Almost immediately, Happy and Charle flew in through the wooden doors, carrying the kids. They set the kids down as quickly as they could and then flew to a table a lay down.

"Mira I think you might have jinxed it." Mira shrugged her off and went over to them. They were absolutely exhausted and out of breath but from what she could see, completely unharmed.

"Are you all okay?" Mira kneeled next to the table they landed on.

Both cats didn't say anything for a few moments. As they caught their breath, Charle sat up first, paws on her dress in front of her.

"Yes...we're fine..." Charle somehow breathed that out.

"That's a relief. Where's everyone else? Didn't you all go out on the mission?" Mira paused after they didn't reply.

"Cana can you take Nashi and Silver to the infirmary? I think they're both tired." She nodded in response and carried the two away.

Charle and Happy hesitated to nod to Mira's question. Now everyone knew something was wrong.

The guild doors opened again, this time revealing Erza, Wendy, Gray, and Lucy. Everyone in the guild welcomed them with smiling faces, until they took note of their tear streaked faces. The four didn't dare make eye contact with anyone. Mira stood up with her mouth opened to say something.

"Where's Natsu?" Nobody answered.

If felt like hours till someone spoke up.

"He didn't make it back..." Lucy's voice was so quiet she was surprised anyone heard her. Her hair cast a shadow on her face and hid what little expression she did have.

"No-No way..." Cana spoke up, eyes wide. Several guild members spoke up about how that was even possible, or what she meant by not making it back.

"Natsu died protecting us! He went up against an enemy we didn't have a chance at defeating and fought bravely. He died...protecting his family." Erza lifted her head up and projected her voice across the room. Tears slid down her face again and her voice cracked when she said family.

Charle rose and went to comfort Wendy, who now kneeled on the stone pavement hiding her face. Gray noticed Juvia across the room sitting with her hands on her eyes. He walked over carefully, avoiding other members and wrapped his arms around her as they buried their faces into each others shoulders.

"Gray-sama...Juvia's sorry..." He didn't say anything, simply hugging her tighter was enough.

The guild was filled with the sounds of every member mourning over the family member they lost. Erza and Mira sat next to eachother, Gray and Juvia remained in their embrace as well as Charle and Wendy. Happy clung to Lucy's top and sobbed hysterically, but Lucy still remained silent.

"Where's Daddy?"

All heads turned to the small girl rubbing her eyes. Her pink hair was in a fuzzy mess as if she had just woken up from a short nap. Silver stood beside her and yawned before moving to his parents.

Lucy looked up for the first time since she walked in with the others. She wiped away the silent tears she was shedding with her arm.

"Come here sweet heart." She spoke softly and held her available arm open. Nashi eagerly ran into her mothers arm and hugged her. Lucy kissed the top of her head and pulled her closer. Happy held on to her but now faced the other way.

"Let's go in here ok?" Nashi held her moms hand as she was led into the infirmary. Happy left as they got to the door and went to Wendy and Charle. The door shut behind the two and they sat on the bed. Lucy rocked Nashi back and forth in her lap, holding her tight.

"Nashi can I tell you a story?" She smiled and nodded excitedly. Lucy breathed deeply.

"Once upon a time, there was a dragon. He was a pink dragon who had a cat who went with him everywhere he went."

"Like Uncle Happy?!" Lucy nodded and continued.

"One day the dragon and his cat went into town and met a princess. It turns out the princess had ran away from home. The princess met a bad man who wanted her to go to a ball with him, and she said yes."

"Why did she say yes?"

"Because he promised her he could give her a new home and make her happy. But once the princess saw that he was lying and that the ball was another one of his traps, she tried to fight back but couldn't. That's when the dragon came through the ceiling to save the princess. The princess ran away with the dragon and went on many adventures after that."

"They defeated lots and lots of bad guys. They also made lots of friends. One of them was a man who could make anything he wanted out of ice. Another was the ruler of the skies and could control the wind. She had a cat too. And there was also the Queen of the Fairies. She had beautiful red hair and was one of the best fighters of them all. They were the princess's family now and she loved them all very much."

"I want friends like that someday."

Lucy played with her hair while still rocking her. "They went to another world and met people who looked just like them. They fought people who wanted to turn all the good people bad. They slept for seven years after fighting the biggest dragon of all. They competed against other guilds to find out who was the best! They even fought evil dragons and saved the kingdom!"

"As time went on, the princess and dragon started to see each other as more than best friends. They started to fall in love with each other. They got married and had a beautiful daughter who looks a lot like you. They loved her very much and still went on lots of adventures with her and their friends and their children. One day, they chose a mission where they are supposed to beat a big monster. When they go on the trip, the five come across a bad guy that they can't beat..."

Lucy took another deep breath, determined to withstand from crying.

"The dragon fought the bad guy and protected all his friends, even the princess. The dragon got hurt while making sure his family got away safely. He went to a place where he would be happy forever, as happy as he was with his family. Everyone was sad but they all knew the dragon was happy and would see him again one day..."

"Momma why are you crying?"

Lucy blinked. She had been crying and didn't even notice.

"Because daddy...he is in the same place as the dragon. I'm sad because we can't see him again until we go to that place." She wiped her eyes with her shirt.

"When can we go there?" Nashi asked, starting to get at what her mother was saying.

She shook her head. "Not for a very long time." Nashi shook her head as well.

"But I want to see him! I don't want you to be sad!" The small girl buried her face in the side of her moms chest. Lucy could feel her shirt begin to dampen. She held her close and rocked her back and forth making calming sounds.

"I know sweet heart. I do too. But..." Lucy pulled Nashi up so they could look each other in the eyes. Both were shiny with the new tears that had sprung. Nashi's cheeks and forehead had become red.

"Your daddy is happy right now. He is a hero and always will be. Ok?"

The small pinkette hesitated but nodded and then buried her face into her mother again. They remained like that for several minutes, maybe even half an hour until they got up and walked home to go to bed for the night.

Later that night when Nashi and Happy were both asleep, Lucy thought back to her story. The thought of Natsu as a pink dragon brought a slight smile to her lips but it quickly went away. She turned to her side and closed her eyes shut.

 _How else am I supposed to explain death to a four year old?_


	9. Photographs

It had been six years since they've returned from the mission. The guild was still lively, everyone still occasionally broke out into fights, and they all continued going on jobs.

Nashi and Silver were ten and twelve now. They still played every day and were even more inseparable if that was even possible. Juvia was teaching him more advanced water magic now that he had been learning for several years. Silver even showed off for Nashi and his two year old sister Lydia occasionally.

Although she found it fascinating, Nashi was much more interested in fire magic, much to Lucy's dismay. Romeo has been teaching her as she got a little older. She knows a little celestial spirit magic on the side as well; she's even collected a few silver keys.

Despite the guild seeming to be normal, it felt strange. A big part of the guild has been gone for so long and there's nothing anyone can do about it.

That afternoon Lucy walked in to the guild hall with Nashi, laughing at something the ten year old must have said. As soon as they were in sight, Nashi let go of her mother and scurried off to the other kids her age. Lucy made her way over to the bar and talked with the girls.

"Hey guys! What'd I miss?" Lucy pulled up a stool. Dozens of pictures laid scattered across the bar counter.

Erza looked up and smiled warmly.

"Just looking through all these old photos Levy came across. The boys have been forbidden from seeing them."

Lucy raised an eyebrow, about to ask why.

"Blackmail." Cana stated blatantly. Mira nodded and continued sifting through the old photos until she found the one she was looking for.

"Remember this Lu?" Mira proudly held up the old photo. It was a picture of the party they had after they placed first in the Games, specifically of Gray's barrel surfing accident. His clothes had come off but that was nothing new. What was funny was the position he had found himself in, sort of a half summersault against the wall.

Lucy laughed. Of course she remembered that night. They were in the lead in the Grand Magic Games and everyone wanted to celebrate. Almost everyone was drunk and thought it would be a great idea to put a table on top of a beer barrel and surf around the bar.

Cana set her eyes on an old envelope that seemed to be buried.

"Kinky." She smiled deviously once she opened it, gaining the girls' attention. As she flipped the images around one by one, the girls turned an alarming shade of red.

They were from the Christmas party several years ago. Erza had gotten drunk and forced everyone to play that horrible game where they had to do whatever the winner said. Pictures of Erza pouring hot wax on Lucy's back, Gajeel landing on Levy naked, Gray on all fours, and worst of all: Natsu slapping Gajeel's butt while he was on all fours.

"I thought these were burned! Why weren't these destroyed!?" Erza, Levy, and Lucy screamed simultaneously and then snatch the photos from Cana and begin to look through them frantically. Levy and Lucy couldn't help but stutter and increase the amount of red in her cheeks. Erza has hung her head low in shame.

"I am truly sorry. The events that happened that night were the result of my carelessness and I can assure you it will not hap-"

"Why is Erza apologizing?" The two worst people that could possibly show up had snuck up behind the five. Gray was carrying Lydia on his hip and picked up one of the photos Lucy and Levy were gawking at. Gajeel managed to get a quick look before laughing while Gray on the other hand nearly dropped his daughter.

"Hey Ice-ass you got some kind of fetish for getting down and screaming?"

"No but apparently you've got one for being hit." Cana showed Gajeel the image in question.

"We don't talk about that..."

"We don't talk about any of this!" Lucy had somehow snapped out of her flustered state.

"Aww but I thought it was funny!" Mira chimed in. A collective no rang out.

"Can we all agree that these need to be shredded, burned, possibly buried and not necessarily in that order?" Everyone agreed, not wanting to relive the embarrassment.

"WAIT." Cana had raised her hand. "Can I keep 'em?"

"NO!"

Erza, Levy and Lucy picked up the photos one by one while Cana mumbled something into her beer about them being a buzz kill.

 **Sorry this is so short! But I thought it would be a nice break from the angst from the last few chapters. I mean I couldn't help but laugh when I was writing this, then again it was also probably around one in the morning and my brain stops working at around midnight or eleven. Anyways! Working on posting the next few chapters here and I'm sloooowly working on the most recent one. Have a great day!**


	10. Pick-Up Lines

"Moooom?" Nashi droned as she stepped into the bedroom. Lucy was in her room sitting at her desk working on her latest novel.

"Yeeees?" Lucy imitated.

"Can I take some of your paper so I can draw? I can't find any in my room."

Lucy nodded as she reached into the bottom drawer of her desk and pulled out a pad of white paper. "Here yah go."

Nashi skipped over and thanked her mother. She turned to walk out but got a glimpse of what she was writing. Curious, she snuck over and rested her chin on Lucy's desk. Lucy smiled and set her pen down.

"Whatcha writtin'?" Nashi playfully asked.

"Jason thought it would be 'super cool' if I wrote an autobiography for my next project. But I'm having some writers block. " Lucy proceeded to hand her a pile of papers. "You want to read the last chapter?"

Nashi smiled wildly and nodded. Her mom often let her read her work to get an opinion on it; something about children being the best judges of creativity.

"Let me know if there's any big words you need help with." Nashi happily sits on the floor and carefully picks up each page, not wanting to ruin her mothers hard work. A few pages in Nashi gets up and walks back over to Lucy's desk.

"Mom, when did Dad say he liked you?"

Lucy freezes. It's been a few weeks since Natsu's been brought up by anyone. Even though it's been so long, just the mere mention of him was enough to phase her.

After taking a moment to regain herself, Lucy puts down her pen and finds the ten year old to her left holding a stack of papers.

"And what brought this up?" Nashi carefully places a page on the desk and points to a particular paragraph. "You skipped to when you were already together." Knowing just how stubborn she could be, Lucy sighed.

"I did write it, just not in that version." She reaches to the right and skims through the large pile until she finds the few pages she had removed. "It didn't feel right putting it in the final version so I took it out. Do you still wanna read it?"

Nashi shook her head. "No, can you read it instead? I think it'll be better if you read it."

"Mhm." Lucy nodded and then flipped a few pages to where the scene she was looking for was at. "Ah, found it."

Natsu had somehow end up where Gajeel, Gray, Wakaba and Macao were hanging out. He zoned out for most of it, not because he didn't understand what they were talking about but because he didn't necessarily have an interest in talking about "sizes" or "making girls scream". Both of which he wasn't sure what they were referring too, but Natsu decided it would be best not to ask.

* * *

" 'ey Gajeel? You made a move on Levy yet?" Gray leaned across the table with a odd grin on his face.

Gajeel choked. "The hell you talking about stripper?"

"Oh come on! It's been how long? It's so obvious you guys have a thing for eachother. Just make a move!"

"Yah sure, whenever Natsu makes a move on Bunny girl."

Natsu turned bright red. "What is that supposed to mean?! I can make a move on her whenever I want!"

"Really? Ok then. I'll ask Levy out if you ask Lucy first." Gajeel gave the same weird smirk that Gray had given him not to long ago. There was no way Natsu would be able to do it. The guy was about as romantic as a brick wall, even if it was Lucy.

Natsu has had feelings for Lucy for quite awhile now, only just realizing it when Gildarts confronted him about it on their year long training session. He couldn't help it. He had a closer bond with Lucy than probably anyone else in the guild, except for maybe Happy. All those missions, those times he snuck in her house at night, those times they saved each other or were even there for each other were bound to lead to something.

Natsu stood up with his hands firmly planted on the table. "Ok fine! I will! And you can all kiss my ass when I do!" Natsu turned around, ignoring the side comments the guys were making, and walked towards the blonde sitting at the bar. That's when Natsu froze about twenty feet from her and then quickly retreated back to the table.

"Couldn't do it could you?" The four mocked.

"Stuff it! It's not as easy as you guys say it is." Natsu folded his arms in defense. Macao and Wakaba looked to each other and nodded. "What are you two geezers thinking?" Gray asked.

"We just figured that he didn't ask because he has no idea how to talk to women." Sounds of agreement went around the table.

"But I talk to Lucy all the time. I know how to talk to her."

"Not when you're confessing your undying love to her you don't. Face it Natsu, you need our help. Me, Gray, Wakaba and Macao can help you come up with some pick up lines." Gajeel smirked. Natsu at first denied their advice but, after some convincing, finally listened to what they had to say.

After some coaching and much needed reassurance, Natsu finally mustered up the courage to walk over to Lucy. His absolute worse fear at the moment was that she didn't feel the same way.

"Yo! Lucy what's up?" Natsu flashed her his famous smile.

Lucy shrugged. "Not a whole lot. Just sitting here telling the girls about the job we just got back from." She gestured to the four sitting near her: Erza, Cana, Mira and Levy.

"Oh well I just wanted to tell you that my Fire Dragons Iron d*** will have you seeing stars."

Cana spat out her beer. Erza went to pull out her sword but Mira and Levy managed to subdue her. Lucy was beet red.

"Wa-wait...what was that?" Lucy stuttered.

"I said that my Fire Dragon's d-"

"I KNOW WHAT YOU SAID BUT WHY!?"

Natsu paused for a second. His nerves were beginning to effect him. He knew that if he stopped that he would never hear the end of it from the guys.

"I bet you can make me roar like a fire dragon." Lucy didn't know how to respond.

"Wait that came out wrong!"

"WAS THERE A RIGHT WAY FOR THAT TO COME OUT?!" Lucy was embarrassed out her mind. Her face couldn't possibly get any hotter or redder. Cana was laughing hysterically and Erza rubbed her temples now that she understood what he was attempting.

Natsu glanced behind him at the table and saw them bent over the table laughing so hard tears were coming out. Throwing everything they had taught him away, Natsu decided to wing it.

"Lucy, you're the key to my starry heavens."

The girls stopped what they were doing. The guys were still laughing but Macao was getting their attention and telling them to shut up.

"I'm...what?"

"Your star shines brighter than any other."

"Nat-"

"It's always more fun when we're-" Before Natsu could finish, Lucy had placed her hands on either side of his head and had put her lips on his.

Natsu froze for a few seconds in shock. After it registered in his head what was happening, he slowly pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her small waist. Lucy moved her hands up into his hair. When they separated after what felt like hours, they touched foreheads.

"Together." Lucy whispered.

The guild was absolutely silent for several seconds, then quickly erupted in cheering and applause. The sound of drafts of alcohol clinging rang across the entire room.

"WELL IT'S ABOUT DAMN TIME." The guys behind him were standing up on their chairs cheering them on. Natsu and Lucy laughed, still in the same position only Lucy's arms rested over Natsu's shoulders.

"You're next Gajeel!" Natsu said pointing to the dragon slayer. Lucy looked at him quizzically but Natsu have her an expression that said he'd explain later.

Gajeel through a few insults his way but Natsu didn't care what so ever. The only thing he needed to care about right now was the woman standing next to him holding his hand.

* * *

Nashi rocked back and forth happily after hearing her mother's story. Lucy stopped occasionally because of some "bad words" that needed to be censored, but at some point she had stopped reading from the pages and was telling it all on her own.

"So he really was as bad at talking to girls as Uncle Gray said."

Lucy scratched the back of her head and laughed. "Yah he was. Normally it wasn't like that but I guess it was different when he tried to tell me how he felt."

"Because he loooooved you." Nashi giggled at her Happy impression.

"Yah, yah he did." Lucy maintained light hearted even after her daughter left the room to go and play. The memory was always enough to make her embarrassed and laugh at the same time. Lucy glanced down at her novel. Her writers block being cleared, she starts writing again.

 _"It's always more fun when we're together right?"_

 _"But what happens when we're not?"_

 _He pauses. "Then it'll be even more fun when we are."_

A few tears spring in her eyes. Lucy takes a deep breath to calm herself down. "Natsu..."

* * *

The cold stone walls weren't much comfort against his back. His hands were in shackles hanging above his head, holding them up as he sat. He shook them in another attempt to break free but it was no use.

"Would someone mind getting me some food?! I haven't eaten in forever! Hey! I know someone's out there." He scanned past the cell bars and into the hallway.

Erza and Gray turned the corner and walked to the bars. He gave them a cold hearted stare.

"Why am I still here?"

"Because you're a murder and an enemy of the guild." Erza spoke sternly. Gray slid a small tray of food through the space in the bars, just close enough for him to reach with his feet.

The man remained silent but anger was quickly creeping up on him.

"Shut up and eat your food." Gray got up from his kneeling position and began to walk off. Erza followed.

"Now that we have E.N.D, we can use him against Zeref." Erza muttered.

The man yanked on his chains and leaned forward as far as he could.

"I'M NOT E.N.D! MY NAME IS NATSU DRAGNEEL OF THE FAIRY TAIL GUILD AND I AM NOT A MURDERER!"


	11. Friend vs Enemy

Natsu leaned up against the wall once again. After all there wasn't much he could do in his cell. The only human interaction he had was with whoever came down to bring him food and water, and that was usually Erza and Gray. Natsu frowned.

The thought that Erza and Gray think he's a murderer is an outlandish idea all on its own, but the fact that they think he's E.N.D?

 _E.N.D..._

Natsu thought back to his fight with him. He had been stupid enough to rush into a situation he had no chance of getting out of. When E.N.D had stabbed him the second time, he truly felt like he was going to die. His body had gone both numb and fully aware of his surroundings. He couldn't see, couldn't hear, couldn't breathe...no that's not true. The only thing he could hear was the sound of his friends' voices. Amidst the unbearable pain he was feeling, Natsu managed to focus in on one voice specifically.

 _Lucy..._

Natsu closed his eyes and sighed. When he had told her and the rest of the gang to run, he meant it for their own good. He hated having to see them that way, and it broke his heart to see her crying like that. He needed her to live not only for him and the guild but for Nashi.

Natsu shook his head. The last thing he needed to be doing was sulking about his family. He needed to be thinking of a way to get out of the cell and back home.

Well, technically it was home but not his home. It sure as hell looked like it but didn't feel right the moment he woke up in the middle of the forest. Natsu thought back a few months to when he woke up.

E.N.D was nowhere to be found, but Natsu laid on the ground about to bleed to death. His head was pounding and he could barely see straight, but he managed to make out three figures running towards him moments before he past out again.

When he awoke again, he was sore but somehow healed. However now he was in cuffs up against a cold stone wall.

The first thing that came to mind when he woke up in the cell was Lucy. He had demanded to know where she was several times but was met with a swift kick to the face by a certain swords woman.

It didn't take him long to figure out that these weren't the Erza and Gray he knew and loved. For weeks they've harshly interrogated him about his information on Zeref, how he knew so much about the guild and any weaknesses Zeref, or his kingdom, had. Of course, Natsu knew just about nothing which didn't help his case. He told them what he could but it was already information they knew.

Even though he gave them information (though not helpful), Natsu was still confined to the small, cold dungeon cell in what he assumed was underneath the guild hall. He was only given food three to four times a week. Most of his time was spent alone in his thoughts, several of which involved how to escape. The cuffs canceled out any magic he used so that was out of the question. He tried telling them he wasn't E.N.D but there were too many physical similarities between them. Not to mention the guild must have learned by now that E.N.D is prone to lying in order to survive.

 _How am I going to get back home?_

Natsu lifted his head up and peered down the dungeon hallway. Erza and Wendy turned the corner carrying a tray.

"Wendy! Finally someone besides that Ice-freak."

Erza's sword clanged up against the cell bars, serving as a warning to keep his mouth shut. She turned to Wendy and nodded.

Wendy knelt down low and carefully pushed be tray underneath the bars. When it was completely inside, she stepped back and made eye contact with Natsu. She didn't look scared, but more intrigued. Who wouldn't be? Zeref's most powerful demon was right in front of her completely at their mercy.

"Let's go." Erza laid her hand on Wendy's back and began walking out.

"How's Lucy?"

Erza halted and rushed back to his cell. "I thought I made it obvious for you to not talk."

Natsu shook his head. "Please. I haven't heard anything about her since I got here." Erza stepped closer, her expression turning cold.

"What makes you think you have the right to see her?"

Natsu remained silent for a moment, then opened his mouth as if he was going to say something, then closed it. They wouldn't believe anything he said anyways so why does it matter?

Erza took his silence as his answer. She stood up straight, absolutely terrifying and eyes menacing. "I'm not sure if you are aware of this, but we are in the middle of a war right now with Alvarez. You are an enemy of Fairy Tail and unfortunately our only way of defeating Zeref. However with your history, you can't be trusted. You almost killed Lucy about two years ago. What makes you think you get to see her when she probably wants nothing to do with you?"

"Because I know her a lot better than you think I do." Natsu sat up straight. "I'm not the one who attacked her."

Erza glared, obviously not wanting to deal with this conversation again. Glancing over her shoulder, she realized Wendy was still in the room and turned to follow her out once again.

Once they were out of view, Natsu gritted his teeth and banged the back of his head against the wall once.

"Dammit!"

His guild mates hated him and were only keeping him alive to use him as a weapon, E.N.D was probably out there having the time of his life while he suffered and he was continuously denied in seeing Lucy. He wanted nothing more than to beat the crap out of E.N.D right now.

Natsu closed his eyes for a moment, trying to relieve some of the frustration and anger he was feeling, but quickly looked up when he felt a very small tremor and dust from the ceiling fell on his face.

"The hell-"

Before he could finish his sentence he was knocked to the ground from a rock from the wall behind him. The ceiling collapsed and wooden planks splintered as they were blown apart. Rocks from the old stone walls were let loose and cracked when they hit the floor. The air was clouded with so much dust and debris that it was difficult to breath, or even open up your eyes.

Natsu grunted and shoved the wreckage off his back so he could sit up. Above him, he could see a light to what he assumed was the way out. Desperate to find out what was going on, Natsu stood up and took only a step forward before being yanked back. The wall may have been in ruins, but the place that held his chains was still in place.

"Dammit Gajeel!" Natsu yelled. He placed his feet on either side of what was left of the wall and counted to three before pulling as hard as he could. It wasn't budging.

"Alright! drastic measures." He picked up a near by rock and started smashing it up against the loop that held the chains. His heart was pounding from the adrenaline coursing through his whole body. Teeth gritted and shouting curse words to anybody that could possibly hear him, he finally succeeded in shattering the iron piece that held his chains in place. They were still at attached to his wrists but at least he could run now.

Quickly, he sprinted around what was left of the dungeon corner and followed his guildmates' scents.

What he found was much worse than he expected.

The guild hall no longer stood. Wreckage spread across the floor and devastatingly on several of the members. A few of them Natsu couldn't even tell if they were alive anymore. Only three of the walls remained, but there wasn't much of them left to even consider them walls. Blasts of varied magic flew across the air to the large open space on the east side of where he stood. He didn't recognize the three that stood where they were firing.

Natsu looked around, seething and absolutely furious. Words could not describe what he wanted to do to their attacker. His fingers dug into his palms so much that they drew a spot of blood, not that he cared. Given that he couldn't fight back because of the cuffs, he ran to the nearest person injured and helped them up as best he could. Several of the other members were helping the injured get out of the way by taking them outside the guild. Natsu managed to get three members out and was going back for his fourth when he saw Cana carrying someone with blonde hair.

Natsu sucked in a breath and he knew his eyes must have gotten bigger. Lucy was riding on Cana's back, her forehead buried into her shoulder and her arms folded around Cana's neck. She was definitely unconscious and he figured it had something to do with the stream of red running down from her hairline.

Throwing caution to the wind, he ran over to the two girls. "LUCY!"

Cana looked up in his direction and saw him running towards her. Once she glanced down at his cuffs, she immediately threw a dozen cards his way before yelling for him to get back. He yelled in frustration but easily dodged the attack. Cana kept running.

Natsu stepped forward to run again but was quickly knocked down. His arms were grabbed and yanked backwards so that his wrists rested on the base of his neck.

"Gray! What the hell?!" He was met with his hands pulled the chains farther down his back.

"Don't you dare go after one of my guild mates again! You got that?!" Natsu knew that voice. It was full of anger and resentment. In this world, he wasn't apart of Fairy Tail so, according to Gray, he didn't have the right to go after someone. He was just an enemy of the guild.

Natsu struggled against Grays hold. If he could use his magic he wouldn't have a problem getting free but the stupid cuffs were posing to be more annoying than when he was chained up in his cell. He cursed as he wriggled and struggled on the ground. When he looked up, he could see Cana laying Lucy down on the ground next to the other members who were injured. He scanned the crowd to see who else was hurt when he saw something that caught his eye. Some form of attack magic he wasn't familiar with was coming straight for him and Gray.

"Gray move!"

"Not a cha-" Gray didn't finish his sentence. He looked up to see a split second of the attack coming straight for them. He inadvertently loosened his grip on Natsu to shield himself, but when he didn't feel the attack come he lowered his arms.

He found Natsu kneeling with his back to him and his arms raised to his face. Slowly, Natsu lowered his arms. The attack had broken the cuffs, finally freeing him. Natsu breathed heavily and rotated his head halfway to face Gray. Gray didn't speak. His mouth was left slightly ajar and his eyes wide. Natsu smirked.

"Told yah to move asshole..." Natsu slumped forward without another word.


End file.
